Prelims: Current events of national and international importance
Why in News?
CBSE has released a public notice inviting students to apply for the Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students (CSSS) for the academic year 2025–26.
- Scholarship sponsored by - The Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education.
- Aim - It is designed to provide financial assistance to deserving students to help meet part of their daily expenses during their graduation and postgraduation studies.
- It is meant to help bright students from economically weaker backgrounds continue their higher education.
- Eligibility - These scholarships are evenly distributed between male and female students.
- They are then dispersed among several State Education Boards and central boards, such as CBSE and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE).
- Dispersal is based on the population of students in the 18-25 age category in each state's jurisdiction.
- The number of scholarships allotted to a State Education Board is distributed amongst pass-outs of the Humanities, Science and Commerce streams in the ratio of 3:3:1.
- Eligibility criteria
- Be above the 80th percentile of successful candidates in the relevant stream from their respective board of examination in Class XII.
- Be pursuing a regular course (and not a distance-learning course) in a recognized institution.
- Not be availing benefits from any other scholarship schemes.
- Have a family income of less than Rs 4.5 lakh per annum.
- Students changing their institution may be allowed to continue or renew the scholarship.
- Amount awarded - For the first three years of undergraduate education, the scholarship offers Rs 12,000 per year, and for the fourth and fifth years, it offers Rs 20,000 annually.
- In the fourth and fifth years of professional studies, such as B.Tech, students receive 20,000 annually.
- Application process - Applications need to be submitted online via the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
- Disbursement of scholarship - It is disbursed directly into the student’s savings bank account through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system, utilizing the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) gateway.
- To facilitate this, students are required to link their Aadhaar number with their bank account.
- Institutional Nodal Officers have also been requested to verify, mark defects, or reject applications through their respective login portals promptly to ensure smooth processing.
Reference
Economic Times | CSSS
